Overview
Clothing designer Kate Sylvester says she finds inspiration in fashions from the past, but reinterprets them in a modern way. The skirt and cardigan of this outfit, which she designed for her clothing label Sister, are reminiscent of the early sixties. But Sylvester says, ‘We have styled the outfit with trousers worn underneath the skirt as this is an edgy, modern juxtaposition . . . a look Sister has developed over several seasons.’ (1)
The trousers are made of black tactel, a stretch nylon sports fabric made in New Zealand. However, the skirt and the cardigan, like many Sister garments, are made from New Zealand wool.
The wool fabric for the skirt has been dyed china blue, and machine-knitted in a tuck stitch. Meanwhile, the cardigan is made from wool that has been dyed to a deep chocolate brown, and knitted in single jersey. Kate Sylvester says that the combination of blue and brown is very contemporary.
The back of the cardigan is emblazoned with a bright green screenprinted pun – the word COOL, beside a stylised drawing of an iron. In fact, this is a giant version of one of the standard Wools of New Zealand care instruction symbols, usually found on small labels inside garments. This particular symbol indicates that a garment needs to be ironed at a cool temperature.
Sylvester graduated from the Wellington Polytechnic’s Clothing and Textiles course in 1986, and, for a couple of years, sold her womenswear through Wellington’s Wakefield Market. She then spent time overseas. In London, she worked for designer Arabella Pollen, then moved to Paris and spent a year working for designer Corinne Robson. On her return to New Zealand in 1993, she established the Sister label in Auckland, with Wayne Conway. Sylvester designs the garments, while Conway creates the screenprinted images she uses.
Sylvester says she designs by a process of elimination, paring garments down to their essential features. Fit, fabric, and finish are important to her.
In 1996, Sylvester became a brand partner with Wools of New Zealand. The brand partnership scheme aims to promote wool by making selected designers (the ‘brand partners’) aware of the latest innovations and technical developments in wool fabrics. Kate Sylvester’s work, along with that of other young designers like Nick Blanchet, demonstrates the versatility of wool in today’s fashion industry.
References
(1) Sylvester, Kate. (1997). Presentation. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa
Tongarewa file L135.14:vol 3.
Text originally published in Tai Awatea, Te Papa's onfloor multimedia database (1998).